Menahem Pressler & New York Chamber Soloists Winds Perform at UF Auditorium, 3/21

With a career spanning more than five decades, world-renowned pianist and music professor Menahem Pressler is joined by the New York Chamber Soloists Winds for a performance at University Auditorium Sunday, March 21, 2 p.m.

Honored and decorated by the French and German governments with the highest honors those countries award to civilians, Menahem Pressler was made a Commander of Arts and Letters by France, and from Germany received the Deutsche Bundesdienstverkreuz, Erste Klasse. A founding member and the pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio for all of its 51 years, he has established himself among the world's most distinguished and honored musicians, with a career that spans more than five decades. Both an outstanding chamber and solo performer, Mr. Pressler's talents have brought him to all of the world's major music capitals. His musical precision and overwhelming knowledge of piano and chamber music literature have also gained him an international reputation as a remarkable teacher.

Born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1923, Menahem Pressler received most of his musical training in Israel, to which his family, fleeing the Nazis, immigrated in 1939. His life has always been completely devoted to his music. When not on tour or teaching master classes, Pressler can be found in his studio at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he holds the rank of Distinguished Professor. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from both the University of Nebraska and the University of Kansas. In 1994 Mr. Pressler was honored with Chamber Music America's Distinguished Service Award and in 1998 he received the prestigious Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award. Menahem Pressler was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in October 2000. Pressler has received numerous awards, including England's Record of the Year Award, four Grammy nominations, Musical America's Ensemble of the Year in 1997 with the Beaux Arts Trio, and the German Recording Award. He was a winner of the Debussy Competition in San Francisco and has served as a juror for the Van Cliburn and Queen Elisabeth Competitions. He regularly presents master classes worldwide. He has recorded almost the entire chamber literature with piano on the Philips label.

New York Chamber Soloists Winds

Acclaimed as an outstanding ensemble of distinguished virtuosi, performing widely diverse repertoire in creatively programmed concerts, the New York Chamber Soloists have maintained a unique niche in the chamber music world for more than five decades. Founded in 1957, the ensemble celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007. This 12-member ensemble of strings, winds, and keyboard can increase to as many as 20 with the addition of guest artists, giving it the flexibility to offer many works that are seldom heard due to the unusual instrumental combinations for which they were written.

With more than 250 works in their repertoire, the Chamber Soloists have made a valuable contribution to the musical life of this country, and have helped to expand the audience for chamber music. Their programming innovations have included Bach's complete Brandenburg Concerti in a single concert; Paris in the ‘20s; an American Classics program; the complete Mozart horn concerti; and song cycles, cantatas, and operas from Monteverdi to Aitken.

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Menahem Pressler and
New York Chamber Soloists Winds
Sunday, March 21, 2 p.m.
University Auditorium

Program
Divertimento No. 4 in B-flat Major for oboe, clarinet and bassoon, K. 439b - Mozart
Six Bagatelles for solo piano, Op. 126 - Beethoven
Quintet in E-flat Major, for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano, K. 452 - Mozart
Duo in C Major for clarinet and bassoon, WoO 27, No. 1 - Beethoven
Rondo in A Minor, K. 511 - Mozart
Quintet in E-flat Major for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn and piano, Op. 16 - Beethoven

Ticket Prices: $28.50 - $39.25

Web sites:
University of Florida Performing Arts: www.performingarts.ufl.edu
Menahem Pressler: http://menahempressler.org/

To Purchase tickets, call the Phillips Center Box Office at 352-392-ARTS (2787) or 800-905-ARTS (toll-free within Florida) or call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 (toll-free). Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Phillips Center Box Office, the University Box Office at the University of Florida Reitz Union or from any Ticketmaster outlet, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

UF students may purchase $10 tickets (with a valid student ID) at the Phillips Center Box Office and the University Box Office at the Reitz Union. Other students may purchase $10 student tickets (in the balcony) at the Phillips Center Box Office.

Performance dates, times and programs are subject to change.
University of Florida Performing Arts does more than entertain. It breaks down walls. It breaks down the walls between people by increasing cultural awareness through programming that attracts artists and audiences from around the globe. It breaks down the wall between patron and performer with educational programs such as master classes, artist residencies and pre- and post-performance discussions. It breaks down the wall between health and illness with AIM Together, a collaborative program between UFPA and Shands HealthCare that brings world-class performing artists to those who are hospitalized. It breaks down the wall between idea and realization by commissioning and nurturing new work. Art doesn't have walls. But sometimes life does. UFPA breaks down the walls, enriching the lives of the citizens in the Heart of Florida, helping to make Gainesville "the #1 place to live."

 

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